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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Pasta with Spring Herbs

While the name of tonight's dish we made for dinner, Pasta with Spring Herbs, may lead you to believe it is only best made in the springtime, the herbs we used were just as flourishing and fresh in the trenches of summer.

You can use any variety of herbs that you like together, but you'll want to make sure you end up with a rough half cup worth of the chopped leaves. I went with what we hand in our herb box on the deck - basil, parsley and one of our more under-used herbs, tarragon. Chervil or dill would be good additions too... just keep in mind the intensity of each herb - we used more of the basil and parsley than we did of the more pungent tarragon.

For the pasta, I went with one of our favorite shapes - campenelle, which very much resembles a tightly closed flower. Fusilli, strozzapreti, gemelli or even penne would be excellent choices. Cooked in one of our large pots filled with boiling salted water, we tossed the hot pasta with the selection of herbs, our best extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh grated Parmesan cheese and of course, salt and fresh ground black pepper. For good measure, once plated, one more dose of Parmesan cheese was dusted on top just before serving.

The zest and juice used ramped up the lightness of this pasta dish, keeping it refreshing and clean, which left the door open for the lingering herbal notes from the trio we used to stand up and be noticed. Being one of those snazzy recipes that is done in less than half an hour, and with the August heat taking hold outside, it was most appreciated to get a satisfying dinner on the table quickly, without the need to push the temperatures up inside .